Regenerative air turbines



Sept. 29, 1970 E. KoLoDzlEJ REGENERATIVE AIR TURBINES Filed July 2. 1968 Ja' {f.

. mew'- Patented Sept. 29, 1970 3,530,671 REGENERATIVE AIR TURBINES Edward Kolodziej, 5616 W. th Ave., Gary, Ind. 46406 Filed July 2, 1968, Ser. NO. 741,962 Int. Cl. F01k 3/18; F01d 1/00 U.S. Cl. 60-59 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A housing receiving air toward one end by way of a series of pipes into a manifold from which nozzles are directed toward a turbine rotor. The pipes, manifold and rotor are all inside the housing; and the latter contains a heating unit. The nozzles are circularly-spaced; and outlets from the rotor communicate with coils which return the air discharged by the rotor to inlets between the noz- -zles for re-use. The housing has a top vent for the escape of the air discharged by the turbine, such escape causing a draft to stimulate the operation of the heating unit.

My invention relates to turbines, and more particularly to means for adding to the efliciency of the same. While such means usually comprise succeeding blade formations or stages extending the turbine Operations, one object of the present invention is to provide regenerative units trained to operate in the driving zone of the turbine.

A further object is to return air currents issuing from the discharging side of the turbine into the feeding zone thereof for re-use.

Another object is to employ a series of coils with one of their ends receiving the air currents from the discharging side of the turbine, and train the coils crosswise over the periphery of the turbine to direct their other ends into the receiving zone of the turbine.

An additional object is to confine the improved turbine and its air-feed means in a housing containing a heating unit.

A still further object is to employ an automatic forcedair feed for the turbine.

A better understanding of the invention may be gained by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which- FIG. ll is a longitudinal section of the turbine;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged general section on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1, and in part on the section line 2-2 of FIG. 3;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are, respectively, sections on the lines 3-3 and 4-4 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of FIG. 1.

Referring specifically to the drawing, denotes the housing of the turbine, and 11 a concentrated air-intake receiver at one end of the same. The center of the receiver has a convex deflector 12 for training the air currents into the outer zone of the receiver, as indicated by arrows. The receiver leads into a rotary pump 13 centered on the drive shaft 14 of the turbine.

The pump is a circular structure formed with a series of circularly-spaced tubes 15 tapering from the receiving side to the discharging side of the pump. FIG. 1 shows that the tubes 15 have an obtuse angle; and their discharging ends face a toroidal manifold 17 formed with a series of'tapered inlets 17a in the path of air discharged from the pump tubes 15.

The manifold 17 discharges into a series of long pipes 18 which extend toward the opposite end of the housing, the pipes leading into a second toroidal manifold 19. FIGS. l and 5 `show that nozzles 19a extend from the manifold 19 in the direction of turbine 20, to end in a stator plate 21, as seen in FIG. 3. The nozzles are set at an angle in the driving direction of the turbine rotor, and serve to direct air jets through the stator plate toward the receiving side of the turbine.

FIGS. 1 and 4 show that the outer region of the turbine rotor contains a series of transverse tubes 23 tapering from the receiving side of the turbine to the discharging side thereof. FIG. 3 shows that the tubes 23 have an obtuse angle. The receiving face of the rotor has a circular series of sections 20a which are dished as seen in FIG. 4 for facility in receiving air jets from the nozzles 19a; and the inlets 23a to the tubes 23 are oval, as seen in the upper left-hand part of FIG. 2, in order to lend the tubes greater capacity without increasing their radial dimension. The angular design of the tubes 23 creates an abutment in the tubes just beyond the vertex for the impinging force of the air jets, whereby to operate the turbine efliciently. It is also noted that the tubes 23 have spiral fins 23b on the inside for imparting a swirl to the air currents passing therethrough.

The air currents issuing from the discharging ends of the tubes 23 are used for adding to the efficiency of the turbine. Thus, these currents issue in the direction of a second stator plate 25 set close to the discharging side of the rotor 20. The receiving face of the stator plate 25 is formed similarly to the receiving face of the rotor, as shown in the left-hand portion of FIG. 2, to provideentrances into a series of tubular coils 26. These are trained transversely over the periphery of the rotor to connect with the stator plate 21 as shown in FIG. 3 along the course ofthe nozzles 18, and discharge into succeeding inlets of the rotor tubes 23. The regenerated air jets from the coils 26 thus add driving mpulses to the rotor, improving the efliciency of the turbine.

The operation of the turbine is stimulated by placing its units in a heated environment. Thus, an oil or gas burner 30 is installed in the housing. In order to start the turbine, outside means (not shown) are employed to direct a blast of air into the air-intake receiver 11. The long pipes 18, made hot 'by the burner 30, tend to increase the Velocity of the air passing through them, so that such air will pass into the manifold 19 and issue as jets from the nozzles 23 to operate the turbine 20 and gain efliciency for the same by way of the coils 26, as described above. This operation will drive the pump 13 with the effect of drawing atmospheric air into the tubes 15 from the air-intake receiver 11, this action dispensing with the need of outside forced air first used to start the turbine.

It may now be mentioned that the over-running order of the coils 26 relative to the turbine tubes 23 will make a coil for the last tube unnecessary. Thus, the tube will simply discharge its air content into the housing. A vent 32 is provided in the top of the housing to relieve excess air pressure that may develop therein.

It should now be apparent that the air feed to the turbine is not confined under pressure at any point. The air driven into the pipes 14 gains Velocity from the heated condition thereof, and also a rise in temperature. Also, it gains more velocity by the constricting effect of the nozzles 19a, exerting force in the rotor tubes 23 to drive the rotor. Since this action may reduce the Velocity and temperature of the air currents in the tubes, the constricted outlet portions thereof operate to restore Velocity to the air currents. Also, when these enter the coils 26 the constant heat thereof from the environment of the housing adds heat and Velocity to the air currents, so that they have these properties at a higher temperature than before when they re-enter the rotor. Thus, the currents gain heat from coil to coil, and are hottest when issuing from the turbine. The currents rise in the housing to issue from the vent 32 and create a draft in the housing which stimulates the travel of heat from the burner toward the turbine. Finally, locating the burner in the heated housing causes the burner to operate at a high temperature and more fully consume the fuel supplied to it.

I claim:

1. A turbne installation comprising a housing, a heating unit located in the same, means leading a fluid medium in motion toward one end of the housing, a turbine rotor located in such end and containing tubes with internal abutments and constricted from the entrance of the tubes to the outlets thereof, said means terminating with nozzles directing the medium into the tubes for impact with the abutments and to gain Velocity by passing through the constricted tubes, and other means receiving the medium from said outlets and leading it into the inlet side of the rotor at points between the nozzles for re-use, such other means being in the heated environment of the housing to impart heat and Velocity to the medium when it is re-used.

2. The structure of claim 1, the progressive hcating and acceleration of the medium from periodical passage through said other means causing the medium to rise in the housing after leaving the rotor, and an outlet vent in the top of the housing causing a draft therein on the References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 667,744 2/1901 Stolze. 876,530 1/1908 Douse 253-66 923,146 6/1909 Curtis 253-66 1,022,683 4/1912 Kenast 253-66 10 2,298,625 10/1942 Larrecq.

2,767,549 10/1956 Martin. 3,070,349 12/1962 Stewart et al 253-66 1 MARTIN P. SCHWADRON, Primary Exarnner R. R. BUNEVICH, Assistant Examner U.S. Cl. X.R. 415-5 8 

